Veronica plant named ‘Mona Lisa Smile’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spike speedwell plant, Veronica ‘Mona Lisa Smile’, with upright mounded habit of well-branched branched spikes producing rosy-purple flowers over a long period beginning late spring. The new plant is useful in the landscape as an accent plant, en masse, as a container plant, or cut flower.

Botanical classification: Veronica spicata L.

Variety denomination: ‘Mona Lisa Smile’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of spikespeedwell, botanically known as Veronica spicata ‘Mona Lisa Smile’, andhereinafter referred to as the cultivar ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ or the “newplant”. The new plant was hybridized in the summer of 2012 by theinventor at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA, withthe proprietary unreleased hybrid known only as 08-64-01B (not patented)as the female parent and ‘Rotfuchs’ (also known as ‘Red Fox’) (notpatented) as the male parent. The cross was performed on Jun. 29, 2012and the individual seedling that was ultimately named ‘Mona Lisa Smile’was identified by the breeder code 12-27-04 throughout the trial period.The seeds were planted on Dec. 12, 2012.

The new plant has been asexually propagated by shoot tip cuttings at thesame nursery in the greenhouses in Zeeland, Mich., since the summer of2014 with subsequent asexually propagated plants found to be identicalto the original selection with all the same traits as the originalseedling.

No plants of Veronica ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ have been sold or disclosed bythis or any other name, in this country or anywhere in the world, priorto one year from the filing of this application, except that which wassold or disclosed within one year of the filing of this application andwhich was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Veronica spicata ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ is unique from all other spikespeedwell known to the inventor. Several other cultivars may have somesimilar traits, but this is the only variety known by the inventor tohave the following characteristic combinations that establish the newplant as unique:

-   -   1. Upright mounded habit of well-branched spikes above the        foliage;    -   2. Flowering is very early, beginning early to mid-June in        Michigan;    -   3. Long spikes of rosy-purple colored flowers;    -   4. Freely branched peduncles with long blooming season.

The closest comparison cultivars known to the inventor are ‘Baby Doll’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,428 and the male parent ‘Red Fox’. The new plantis taller, wider in habit with less reddish coloration in the flowerthan ‘Red Fox’. ‘Baby Doll’ has a less branched habit with softpink-colored flower colors. Compared with ‘Pink Potion’ U.S. Plant Pat.No. 29,681 is more compact and shorter in height. ‘Perfectly Picasso’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,720 is slightly taller with longer spikes ofmedium pink flowers. Compared with the female parent the new plant istaller and has darker flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photograph of the new plant demonstrates the overall appearance andunique traits of ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ as a three-year-old plant grown in afull-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient lightspectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the habit of the new plants in full flower.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references of Veronica ‘Mona LisaSmile’ are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural SocietyColour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Veronica‘Mona Lisa Smile’ has not been observed under all possible environments.The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments suchas temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels,but without any change in the genotype. The following observations andsize descriptions are based on three-year old plants in the full suntrial garden of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizerand water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Veronica spicata;-   Parentage: The female (seed parent) was the proprietary hybrid known    by the breeder code 08-64-01B; the male (pollen parent) was Veronica    ‘Red Fox’;-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, with average 30    highly-branched stems, main stems blooming to about 60.0 cm tall and    clumping to about 56.0 cm across; flowering beginning early June in    Michigan and continuing for about 4 weeks with occasional repeat if    deadheaded;-   Leaves: Simple, flat, elliptic to lanceolate; opposite; serrated    margin with about 3 teeth per one centimeter; glabrous below and    above, acute apex, attenuate base;-   Leaf size: About 6.5 cm long by 1.5 cm wide decreasing in both    length and width distally;-   Leaf color: Mature leaves adaxial between RHS 137A and RHS 139A,    mature abaxial nearest RHS 137C; young expanding leaves nearest RHS    144A adaxial and abaxial;-   Veins: Reticulate, abaxial puberulent and glabrate to glabrous    adaxial; abaxial midrib costate, about 1.0 mm across at abaxial base    and about 0.5 mm at adaxial base;-   Vein color: Adaxial midrib nearest RHS 147D and secondary veins    between RHS 137A and RHS 139A; abaxial midrib nearest RHS 147D with    secondary veins nearest RHS 137A;-   Petiole: Simple; slightly concaved upward on edges; margin    ciliolate; about 1.5 cm long and 4.0 mm wide length, shorter and    narrower on distal leaves;-   Petiole color: Adaxial base nearest RHS 144D, distally between RHS    137A and RHS 139A; abaxial nearest RNS 144D;-   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Convolute, narrowly oblong,    obtuse apex; about 5.5 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter;-   Bud color: Between RHS 64B and RHS 64C throughout;-   Flowers: On heavily branched upright spikes in compressed    conglomerate; numerous; zygomorphic; campanulate; approximately 300    per main spike; about 8.0 mm long and about 7.0 mm across; flowers    persist individually for 4 to 6 days whether on the plant or cut;    petals self-cleaning, sepals and style persistent;-   Flower attitude: Outwardly;-   Flower timing: Early to mid-summer and repeating if deadheaded into    early fall;-   Flower fragrance: None detected;-   Petals: Four; one larger petal above and three slightly smaller    below and to either side; simple, entire, fused in basal 2.5 mm;    glabrous abaxial and pubescent with 1.0 mm long hairs in tuft band    about 1.0 to 2.0 mm from adaxial base; upper larger petal with    rounded apex, about 5.5 mm long by 2.0 mm wide; side and lower    petals with acute apex, about 5.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide;-   Petal color: Abaxial nearest RHS 64C and adaxial nearest RHS 64C,    pubescent adaxial tube white nearest RHS NN155D;-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Two; divergent; glabrous; epipetalous about 1.0            mm from base; about 5.5 mm long by about 0.25 mm diameter;            color nearest RHS N74C.        -   Anther.—Dorsifixed, longitudinal; elliptic with acute apex            and rounded base; about 1.5 mm by 1.0 mm; color nearest RHS            75C proximally and nearest RHS NN74D distally.        -   Pollen.—Abundant, globose, less than 0.1 mm; nearest RHS 8D.-   Gynoecium: Single, superior; persists after petal drop;    -   -   Style.—Straight; attitude mostly outwardly; about 7.0 mm            long and 0.25 mm diameter; color RHS N74C.        -   Stigma.—Globose; finely puberulent; about 0.3 mm in            diameter; color RHS 75D.        -   Ovary.—Spherical to slightly elliptic; about 1.0 mm long and            0.8 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 145B.-   Sepals: Four, surface dull, ovate to narrowly ovate, acute apex,    base fused forming campanulate calyx, puberulent margin; adaxial    glabrous; abaxial nearly microscopically puberulent; about 3.0 mm    long and 1.0 mm across;-   Sepal color: Abaxial and adaxial between RHS 138A and RHS N138B;-   Peduncle: Strong, erect, branched at nodes; terete; puberulent;    about 25.0 cm long and 2.5 mm in diameter at the base; terminal    flowering section of the main stem 10 to 12 cm long; attitude    upwardly; freely branching at nodes; about 6 to 7 nodes before    flowers; average internode length about 1.5 cm;-   Peduncle color: Blend between RHS 146A and RHS 137C;-   Pedicel: Rigid, about 1.0 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, finely    puberulent; attitude mostly outwardly;-   Pedicel color: Between RHS N138B and RHS 138A;-   Bract: One, subtending each flower; linear; acute apex; entire;    sessile; based fused to peduncle; proximal bracts about 6.5 cm long    and 1.0 mm wide, decreasing in size distally;-   Bract color: Adaxial between RHS 137A and RHS 139A, and abaxial    between RHS 137C and RHS 138A;-   Fruit: Ellipsoid, about 3.0 mm long and 2.5 mm across; color between    RHS 166A and RHS 166B;-   Propagation: The plant roots from cuttings in about 2 weeks and    finishes to flowering in a 3.8 liter container in 8 to 10 weeks    following a vernalization period of about 8 weeks;-   Hardiness, pest and disease resistance: The plant grows best with    plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate    some drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4    through 9. Disease and pest resistance beyond what is typical of    that of other spike speedwell has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spikespeedwell plant, Veronica ‘Mona Lisa Smile’, as herein described andillustrated.